Javier of the Cuban Ministry of Anomalies stood at the end of the dock, looking out to the glittering Carribean Sea as the sun hung high in the sky.
"Sir?"
He waited for a moment before turning to the voice. A nervous young man stood there in his grease-stained CMA uniform. "Yes?"
"Well, sir… I noticed you weren't at the meeting today."
Javier suddenly grinned. They'd sent the new boy after him. "What's your name, hm?" He asked, trying his best not to be intimidating.
"Antonio."
"Well, Antonio, do you know the homeless rate in Cuba? The number of people that are starving every day? Too many. But they're in there discussing things like weaponization, control… These giant goals that simply can't be reached. I refuse to talk about that when some of our citizens are still living in the streets. What kind of strong and prosperous country are we if we can't even help them?
They both stood still. Antonio opened his mouth, looking as if he'd had something to say, but stopped.
"I apologize, I just get on these—"
"No, no," the boy interrupted. "I think I see your point."
"Well… finally, someone does, heh!"
"…people really act like that?"
"Bah, I was kidding. They're just a bit more… patient. You'll see when you're older."
The two turned back to the sea, listening to the waves crash against the concrete of the pier. A bit of water splashed up onto Javier's boot, and he took a step back. "Wind's getting stronger," Antonio said, cocking his head towards his superior. "Why don't we go inside? I think I have an idea you might like."
Javier looked up at the dilapidated building. Its 'Coppelia' sign had fallen to the ground and rusted. "So, this is it, eh?"
"Yep!" Antonio replied, heaving his toolbox towards the parlor. "Our files said there's a certain piece of tech here, one that might be useful. I've been meaning to check it out, but I needed permission, so now that you're here…" He looked back, grinning. "Well, I think I'll be able to make good use of it."
"And you still haven't told me what 'it' is."
"We're getting there," he said, looking up at the metal walk-in-freezer door. "Just gotta, uh, open this up." After making his best effort towards prying it open, Antionio looked back to Javier, who cracked his knuckles before easily pulling it open with a satisfying clunk. "Thanks! Anyways, this is what I was interested in."
The massive machine before them looked like an giant industrial washing machine, but with a spigot on the front. From inside, something was pumping, making a… gloopy noise? "This doesn't answer any questions."
"Of course it doesn't!" Antonio smirked, standing on his tiptoes as he tried to reach a red button high up on the machine. He grumbled, then jumped, finally slamming his fist down on the button.
The machine instantly started to gloop and glug, before finally dispensing ice cream from its spigot, which fell to the ground with a splat. The boy, realizing his mistake, hopped up again and hit a different button, which stopped the flow of frozen dessert. He looked back to Javier like a deer in headlights, and was surprised to see a smile. "So this machine makes ice cream?"
Clearing his throat, Antonio collected himself. "Infinitely so. And with a few adjustments, it could make nearly any dairy product. I've thought it through, and cheese would be the best thing to send over to Cuba!"
"…cheese?"
Realizing he was still getting a little carried away, Antonio's cheeks flushed red. "Well, cheese lasts a long time, and there are about… two kilometres between Venezuela and Cuba? And we'd have to send it by ship, but most dairy products expire fairly quickly, though cheese doesn't as long as it's refrigerated, and—"
"Alright, alright!" Letting out a hearty guffaw, Javier stepped forward and pat the kid on his back. "You've really got this thought through! Why haven't you told anyone else about this?"
"Well, I'm not invited to the meetings…"
"Right. Well… I think I could bring it up for you. Why don't you get this thing all modified or whatever you do, then we can write something up and get it approved. You'll probably get a promotion, you know."
Antonio scratched his neck nervously before standing up straight, a determined fire in his eyes. "That sounds good to me!"
"Hey, Antonio! You still in here?" Javier yelled, entering the abandoned ice cream store. "I've got some good news!"
He entered the freezer just in time to see the boy shoot out from underneath the giant machine, at which he wiped his grease-stained hands with a cloth before sitting up. "Did it pass?!" He exclaimed, an unwavering grin plastered on his face.
"You bet it did! They all loved the idea— and the samples certainly helped. They're interested in perhaps making a business out of it here in Venezuela, could help us gather some funds for other operations."
"Really!?"
"Really." And before he could even process it, the boy jumped up, pulling him into a tight, greasy hug. "I, uh, think you should have a shower."
"Ah— uh, sorry." Antonio muttered, stepping back. "It's just… really good to hear. And I have good news too! Lookit!" He turned back to the machine, gesturing to a shiny new control panel on the side with dozens of different buttons. "Now it can dispense a buncha different cheeses! Locals like guayanés, queso de mano or queso palmita, but I've also been working on more foreign ones like mozzarella, cheddar, swiss, cream—"
"Alright, alright, I get it. Lots of cheese, eh?" Javier interrupted.